Causes Of World War One

http://www.activehistory.co.uk/WW1_CAUSES/ENGLISH/frameset.htm Causes of World War One

Name # Class Period Date

Instructions: Fill the gaps in this worksheet as you progress through the game.  In 1890, there were 6 main countries in Europe: Germany, Austria, Russia, France, Britain and Italy. France hated Germany, because in 1871 Germany seized from France after winning the Franco-Prussian War. To protect herself, Germany formed an alliance with Austria and Russia (the "Dreikaiserbund" or "Three Emperors' League"). Germany and Austria also had an alliance with Italy (the " "). Britain, as an island nation, refused to take sides at all.

Germany sides with Austria

 In 1890, when Wilhelm II became Kaiser of Germany, Austria and Russia were arguing over who should control the - the area of Europe bordering Turkey. Turkey ruled this area for centuries, but was becoming too weak to hold on to them (she was known as the "Sick Man of Europe").  The argument between Austria and Russia meant that the Dreikaiserbund was falling apart. Germany rejected the Russians and sided instead with Austria and Italy (the "Triple Alliance").

Russia sides with France against Germany Britain sides with France against Germany

 After Germany sided with Austria, Russia formed an alliance with in 1894. This meant Germany had enemies both in the West (France) and in the East (Russia). The prospect of a "war on fronts" was very scary.  Germany tried to form an alliance with so that France and Russia were more likely to leave Germany alone.  To put pressure on Britain, Germany started expanding her Britain saw this as a direct threat to her sea-based Empire.  Britain was the only major country in Europe without allies, so Germany demanded a high price for her friendship. He refused to stop building up his navy, announced that Germany wanted an Empire of her own ("A Place in the "). He also said that Britain should sign an alliance not only with Germany, but also with Italy and Austria.  Britain refused and instead reached the (friendly understanding) with France in 1904. This alarmed Germany. France was now an ally with both Britain and with Russia!

Germany prepares for the worst - the Schlieffen Plan

 In 1905, had alliances with Britain and Russia.  had alliances with Austria and Italy, but was starting to feel "encircled". So, Germany drew up the Plan”. This reasoned that because Russia and France were allies, war with either one would mean war with both. So, if Germany found herself at war with either one, she should move like lightning: first, defeat the French by sending the army through then unleash the whole German army on Russia. In this way, Germany could avoid a "war on two fronts".  The danger of this plan was that it relied on "striking the first blow" – Germany would have to declare war as soon as possible when a crisis rather than try to find a peaceful solution.

Germany tries splitting up France and Britain – Morocco, 1905

 The “Entente Cordiale” between France and Britain said that Britain could control whilst France could control

 So in 1905 France told the Sultan of Morocco to give control of his army to the French.  The Kaiser went to Tangiers in Morocco and promised German support for the Sultan if the French invaded. He felt that Russia, France's ally, had just lost a war against and was too weak to get involved.  Britain organised the Conference (1906) to discuss the issue. At this conference, Germany was humiliated. Britain and France voted to ignore Germany's concerns. Far from destroying the Entente Cordiale, Germany's actions had the reverse effect of bringing France and Britain closer than ever before.

Growing Tension between Germany and Britain – The Naval Race / The Daily Telegraph

 In 1906, Britain launched a brand new style of battleship – the – and spent millions of pounds staying ahead in the "Naval Race" with Germany. British people hated paying taxes to pay for these ships, so they hated the Germans too.  In 1907, Britain signed an alliance with Russia, creating a "Triple “of Russia, France and Britain. This matched the "Triple " of Germany, Austria and Italy.  In 1908, a British newspaper called the interviewed the Kaiser. He was keen to present himself as a "friend of England" but lost his temper when he remembered the times that Britain had refused his offer of an alliance. Describing the British as "Mad as " did not go down well in Britain – German shops had their windows broken!

Growing Tension between Germany and Russia – The Bosnian Crisis  The Daily Telegraph interview of 1908 destroyed any chance of an alliance between Germany and Britain. So Germany relied more and more upon The problem with this was that Austria was arguing with mighty Russia about who should control the Balkans.  In 1908 Austria seized control of a country in the Balkans. Russia was outraged and there was a danger that the Triple Entente (Russia, France and Britain) could soon find herself at war with the Triple Alliance (Austria, Germany and Italy).  The Kaiser gave a "blank " to Austria (promising them his full support whatever happened). So, the French and the British refused to get involved. Russia, still weak from her defeat in the War, backed down.  This was a victory for Germany and Austria, but Russia was determined to get revenge as soon as she was strong enough.

Events 1908-1914  Between 1908-1912 tension between the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, ) and the Triple Entente (Britain, Russia, ) continued to grow.  In 1911, Germany and France clashed again over Morocco. France started extending her control in the region; Germany sent a gunboat – the” " over there; Britain again sided with France, and Germany was forced to back down.  In 1912, Russia and Austria again clashed over the Balkans. The Balkan Wars saw – a close friend of Russia – emerge as the most powerful country in the Balkans. Austria was determined to crush Serbia.  said to Austria that "You can be certain I stand behind you and am ready to draw the sword whenever your action makes it necessary". Russia was equally determined that Serbia should be defended against such an attack. The Tsar declared in February 1914, "For Serbia, we shall do everything."

The Spark - Assassination at Sarajevo, June 1914

 On 28th June 1914, a Serbian terrorist group called the “Black Hand” assassinated the Austrian Archduke, Franz ,in Bosnia. Austria snatched control of from under the nose of Serbia in 1908. Since then, relations between Austria and Serbia have been particularly bad.

The “July Crisis”, 1914

 On 6th July 1914, the Kaiser gave Austria a “Blank Cheque” (Germany promised to support Austria whatever happened). ▪ On 23rd July, Austria gave Serbia an – a list of demands. Serbia accepted almost all of these, but Austria declared war anyway.  On 29th July, Austria started bombing Serbia. was an ally of Austria, and was an ally of Serbia, so there was a real danger of the war spreading across Europe.  On 30th July, Russia started her army. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Tsar Nicholas of Russia exchanged messages (the “ Telegrams”) trying to sort things out.  On 31st July, Germany asked Russia to demobilise. Russia replied that only Austria was being threatened, not Germany. Germany wanted France to promise not to get involved, but France did not reply. Germany and France then both asked whose side she is on, but she refused to get involved.  On 1st August, Germany declared war on Russia. The Kaiser did not want to declare war on France as well, but felt he had no choice: France was an ally of Russia and would attack Germany from the West, creating a “War on Fronts”.  On 3rd August, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany declared war on France. Britain then promised to defend Belgian neutrality. Despite this, Germany marched into Belgium as part of the Plan.  On 4th August, Britain declared war on Germany. World War One had begun.

When you finish the simulation, answer the questions below. 1. Who were the members of the "Triple Alliance"?

2. Who were the members of the "Triple Entente"?

3. Which two countries were the greatest enemies?

4. Which country do you think was most responsible for World War One? Explain your answer carefully.